


Rebellious Fabrics

by nobu_akuma



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Crack Fic, Done Adrien is done and it's beautiful, F/M, Gabriel Agreste continues to prove himself The Worst, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Kinda, M/M, Rebellious Adrien Agreste, aka the worst parenting he could ever do, also how does one tag, as a treat, lil bit of Adrienette, literally half of Adrien's outfits are inspired by shifty-thrifting on tumblr, tagging post posting it cuz I was kinda tired when i first put this up lol, using fashion as a way of protest, which is an amazing blog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24014125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobu_akuma/pseuds/nobu_akuma
Summary: Adrien uses fashion to rebel.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 88
Kudos: 239





	1. Chapter 1

What led to Adrien Agreste's rebellion had been innocuous enough, just after the start of his third year in public school. He'd come down from his room one chilly morning in a hoodie. It was black, with green paw prints and green letters that read "Don't Litter". And it wasn't one of Gabriel's designs.

"What exactly are you wearing?" Gabriel demanded.

Adrien blinked up at him, "A hoodie?"

"And where did you purchase such a garment?" Gabriel's eyes narrowed.

"Etsy. I thought it looked neat." Adrien shrugged.

"Even though you have perfectly good hoodies in your closet?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah, and?" Adrien frowned.

Which had been the wrong thing to do and say, apparently. Gabriel roared, snapping at his son fiercely for the presumed slight against Gabriel.

Surprising Nathalie, Adrien didn't shy away from his father's words. Instead he stood, back straight, shoulders squared and eyes filled with determination and indignation.

When Gabriel finished speaking, Adrien merely adjusted his bag on his shoulder and walked outside.

At eight that evening, Adrien returned, looking oddly smug. He said nothing to Nathalie when she greeted him and merely jogged up to his room. Skipping dinner. 

Nathalie's stomach twisted. She had a bad feeling about tomorrow.

***

The next morning proved her instincts correct. It took all her self control not to allow her jaw to drop when Adrien came down for school.

Adrien Agreste, model and son of fashion mogul, was dressed atrociously. He was wearing a violently orange shirt with red cursive scrawl that read "foxy", vibrant lemon yellow skinny jeans and... dear G-d. He was wearing clown shoes.  _ Literal _ clown shoes.

The ensuing shouting from Gabriel was about ten times as bad as the morning prior. But Adrien didn't even flinch. The teen merely watched his father with a blank expression.

A minute of silence passed after Gabriel ended his rant.

Adrien raised a brow at his father in a way that could only be interpreted as "are you quite finished?".

Gabriel stormed away from his son.

Adrien shrugged and walked outside to get to school, shoes squeaking like dog toys.


	2. It Gets Weirder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of sexual innuendo at the end of the chapter.

Adrien took deep breaths as he squeaked his way through the school toward his first class. He wasn't going to let what Gabriel had said hurt him. He refused to get akumatized over this.

Adrien looked up when he heard Marinette's voice. He grinned as he reached the door. _Marinette's_ first reaction to this ensemble was _everything_ to Adrien right now.

Adrien entered the classroom, eyes immediately going to Marinette, “Good morning, Marinette.”

“Good morning, Adr-” Marinette finally looked up at him. 

Marinette's eyes widened in horror and her jaw dropped. Adrien suppressed his snickers as she floundered for words. She stood from her desk, slamming her hands against it.

Marinette leveled Adrien with a determined expression, “What the _hell_ did Gabriel do?”

“Wh-what?” Adrien blinked in surprise at that. Was he that easy to read? He took a step back. His shoe squeaked. Adrien tried to laugh it off, “What do you mean, Mari?”

“I’m sorry.” Marinette breathed and relaxed her shoulders, as well as resting her hands palm up and otherwise opening up her body language. Marinette softened her expression into the concern she meant to convey, “Let me try again. Are you okay, Adrien? Did something happen at home?”

“I… no, I'm fine. Nothing happened.” Adrien looked down. He'd really been hoping for a lighthearted reaction. But clearly, Mari knew him too well.

“Sunshine, you're wearing clown shoes. They squeak like a clown's nose!” Alya said.

“Or like the noses of giant, terrifying animatronic bears possessed by the souls of dead children.” Nino added.

The other three turned to look at him.

“Look, dude, your shirt says ‘Foxy’ on it. Of course my brain is going to jump to fnaf.” Nino said.

“Fair enough.” Adrien nodded.

“Adrien, it's okay if you don't want to tell us.” Marinette said, “We're here for you no matter what, okay?”

“Okay… thank you…” Adrien sighed.

Then Adrien explained what had happened the day before and how tired he was of never being good enough. How he decided to stop trying to be perfect and to figure out how to express himself through his own personal fashion choices. And that he kinda wanted it to piss off Gabriel.

His friends agreed to help. Within days, Adrien was covered by _all_ the fashion magazines and many local fashion blogs. The paparazzi were eating up his new outfits. Looking at pictures of him during that first week was like a weird fever dream. There were so many pictures of him dressed in ridiculous and clashy thrift store outfits while surrounded by his friends, who were wearing the same things they always did.

The day Adrien found his “world's best grandma” blouse was the best day of his life. It was a purple that was brighter than Simon Says’ and had elaborate viney embroidery spilling from the phrase. The words themselves were embroidered on and cut in half by the buttons. It had long sleeves, ruffled cuffs and a ruffled collar. It was _several_ sizes too big for him. Adrien wore it every chance he got.

One of Adrien's other favorite pieces was a frilly green princess gown that had once belonged to a young kid. He'd managed to convince/commission Marinette to turn it into a vest for him. She'd been conflicted about it before she grinned and told him to tell Gabriel it was avante garde. 

“Cuz it technically is.” Marinette cackled as she took scissors to the dress.

Adrien also had a marvelous collection of insanely atrocious christmas sweaters. He also had managed a collection of the _weirdest_ tee shirts he'd ever seen.

At some point, Kagami had gotten him a custom made fashionable, Spanish/Japanese reversible face mask that read “world's best grandma”. He was always wearing it.

To say his father tended to be exasperated or furious would be an understatement. 

All that isn't to say that _all_ Adrien did to rebel was dress in fashion atrocities. He might have also bought and renovated a homeless shelter. And it could be possible that he had started financing Marinette starting her own fashion line. And modeling for her, of course. It was the least he could do.

***

“What _precisely_ is this charge for several thousand dollars, Adrien?” Gabriel asked.

“Oh, it's the homeless shelter I bought and renovated.” Adrien smiled. He straightened out the hem of his “I minivan housewives” tee.

“Under my name?” Gabriel glowered.

“Well it was either do it myself or ask you, but I know you're too busy for that, so I did it myself.” Adrien shrugged, “Oh, and it's called the Chat Noir Sanctuary.”

“ _What_!?” Gabriel growled, “You named it after that mangy cat!?”

“Well, yeahhhhh.” Adrien said.

Gabriel's eyes narrowed at his son, “Are you… are you _seeing_ him?”

Adrien glanced at the mirror behind his father and smirked, “I might be.”

“He is banned from my home and the homeless shelter!” Gabriel declared.

“Cool, I'll just go over to his apartment.” Adrien shrugged and began to walk away. 

“Wait! He's your secret twin!” Gabriel blurted, clearly having no idea how to regain control of his son or the situation. 

Adrien almost snorted and composed the properly horrified expression. Then he slowly turned to his father, “Y-you mean… I… I _played Super Penguino_ with my _twin_!?!”


	3. Gabriel Realizes He's an Idiot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! I have been really busy and am handling several projects right now! I hope y'all enjoy!

It had been approximately a week since Cat Noir had been banned from the Agreste Mansion. It had taken that long for Gabriel Agreste to finally swallow his pride and attempt to recover a chance at the Cat Miraculous he'd destroyed for himself.

"Adrien." Gabriel called as he son entered the Mansion. 

"Yeah?" Adrien asked, clearly disinterested in talking with his father. 

"I… I find I must admit that I was a bit brash when I banned Cat Noir from our home." Gabriel began. Adrien's lips twitched but his face remained neutral. Gabriel continued, "I would be grateful if you could bring Cat Noir here, to have dinner with us."

"No way. You clearly hate him, despite his being your own son. You don't even know his name, do you?" Adrien said. 

"Adrien-!" Gabriel tried.

"Besides, obviously I'm not seeing him anymore. If he's my  _ brother _ …" Adrien shuddered, bells on his xmas sweater jingling, "And I'm dating someone else now."

It took a moment for that to register before Gabriel frowned at his mess of a son, "Wait,  _ who _ are you dating now?"

"Ladybug." Adrien said nonchalantly.

Gabriel froze as though he stopped working. It was like that meme or joke on the internet Nathalie had seen around. Gabriel Agreste.exe has stopped functioning.

"But I'm not going to bring her over either. Because if you can hate  _ your son _ that much, I can't possibly imagine how you feel about Ladybug." Adrien walked past his father, jingling with each step, "I mean, I probably won't even be dating her by next week. Maybe I'll be dating Chloe or that cute rocker boy, Luka. Who knows? I sure don't."


	4. I Take Food And Pissing Off Gabriel As Payment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the mood/style of this chapter is different from the others, but I hope you guys still enjoy it!

"It's weird that he changed his mind like that." Marinette frowned, taking Adrien's sombrero so that they could look at her sketchbook together.

Adrien shrugged and slung his arm on the back of her chair, shifting closer, "He probably just wanted to try to control him too. Can you imagine what he'd do if he was able to claim Paris' Hero as his son?"

"That'd be a genuine mess." Marinette's face tightened, worry etched on it, "Cat doesn't deserve anymore crap."

He chuckled tiredly at that, "Ain't that the truth."

Marinette scowled at her sketchbook, mind elsewhere. Adrien took a moment just to look at her. He was so very grateful to have her in his life. 

His eyes followed a strand of hair that fell into her face. Without much thought, Adrien gently tucked it behind her ear.

Marinette jumped at the contact, returning to reality, "Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay." Adrien smiled fondly, "It's kinda cute seeing you so worried about Cat Noir."

"Well, I mean, he puts himself in danger a lot and he's really kind and good and stuff." Marinette rambled, a blush spreading across her face.

"Oh? Well, I mean, I could probably set you up with him if you wanted." He mused.

"Shut up, it's not like that." Marinette elbowed him.

He laughed, "Okay, okay, just saying."

" _Anyway_ ," Marinette grumbled.

***

"Hey Luka." Adrien greeted.

"Oh, hey Adrien," Luka said, forced to look _up_ at him due to Adrien's violently purple stiletto boots, "what's up?"

"Not much. Though, I was wondering if you'd be down for a jam session this weekend?" Adrien asked. He leaned onto a railing carefully as to not catch the lime green mesh shawl he was wearing above his faux snakeskin strapless minidress and orange drop crotch pants.

“Hm,” Luka tapped his chin thoughtfully, “do I get dinner too?”

“Oh, _absolutely_. Especially if you’re willing to pretend to be my lover-of-the-week.” Adrien grinned.

A look that would have the Heroes of Paris worried crossed Luka’s face, “I will absolutely join you for a jam session and dinner, _my darling_.”

“I’m looking forward to it, _sweetheart_.” Adrien winked.

***

“Sweetheart!” Adrien greeted as he bound up the dock.

Luka turned, a huge grin on his face, “Darling!”

“You’re dating now?” Marinette asked, brow raised.

“Just for the day, button.” Adrien winked.

“I’m being paid in food and pissing off Gabriel.” Luka smirked.

Marinette nodded, “That’s completely valid.”

“So it’s time for us to leave, darling?” Luka asked.

“It is indeed, sweetheart.” Adrien nodded sagely.

“Before you leave, can I ask why you’ve decided to dress like a halloween costume version of Cat Noir? With a cape?” Mari asked.

Adrien grinned, spinning in his bedazzled, “sexy” Cat Noir costume and vampire cape, “Isn’t it just lovely, button?”

“I think all of Paris would die of a heart attack if Cat ever wore that.” Marinette said.

“Hopefully Father will too.” Adrien winked.

“Good luck!” Mari laughed.

***

To say that Gabriel Agreste was seething would be an understatement. Nathalie stood quietly to the side, watching as Adrien flirted loudly and openly with the boy he’d brought to dinner. One that was decidedly not a Miraculous Holder.

It was quite clear that Adrien was having a ton of fun in infuriating his father. It was rather surprising at how little Gabriel could actually do to keep his formerly very strict control on his son. Gabriel’s jaw tightened at a particular flirt and Nathalie had to stifle a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.

Adrien’s eyes met hers and he smirked. She shook her head in response but had to suppress a smile despite herself.

It was a long, high-tension dinner but Nathalie had to admit, in spite of her position and knowledge, she was happy to see Adrien fighting back after such a long time. He deserved his own happiness and life and seeing him carve it out for himself made her feel, well, rather proud.

Maybe she felt some maternal emotion towards the young man, but she really wanted to see him be happy. Then and there, she understood that she wouldn't stand in his way. Even at Gabriel's behest.

What an odd turn of loyalties she'd found in herself. 


	5. Tonal Shifts And Shirt Berets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! So, this chapter is a pretty big tonal shift from what the fic has been up to this point. I'm actually winding it up to a real plot-having conclusion. I know that that's not what this fic has been or what you're probably expecting from this fic and I apologize if that upsets anyone. 
> 
> That said, I'm really excited for where this is going and I hope you all will be happy to join me on this particular ride. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! ~Nobu

Cat Noir fell dramatically onto Marinette's bed with a call of, " _ Purr _ incess!"

"Is there an akuma?!" Marinette asked, spinning to the hero.

"Oh, uh, no?" Cat blinked.

"Then why didn't you knock?" She scowled.

"I was excited?" Cat frowned, mostly at himself.

Mari raised a brow but turned back to the fabric she was working on, "For?"

"Having enough time to relax and run around mask on for the first time in awhile." He murmured. 

"That's great, Kit, but you still can't just enter my room without knocking, you know." She turned a scolding look on him, "What if I'd been changing?"

Cat's entire face turned a very nice shade of red as he tried to stammer out a response. He eventually found his voice, pointedly not looking at her, "I promise I'll knock from here on out."

"Unless it's an emergency." Marinette added.

"Yes, unless it's an emergency." Cat nodded with relief.

"So?" She raised a brow.

He turned to her, a hopeful smile on his lips, "I was hoping you might want to go on a picnic with me?"

"A picnic?" Mari blinked, "Uh, sure. Let me grab some stuff real quick and I'll meet you on the balcony."

"Awesome!" Cat bounded up the trapdoor.

Marinette let out a laugh as she quickly packed a bag with her sketchbook, a few art supplies, her phone and a handful of cookies for Tikki. Tikki smiled up at her.

"What?" Marinette asked softly.

"I'm just happy you get to hang out with Cat again. It's been awhile." Tikki shrugged. 

"Aw, you missed him too, huh?" She cooed. The Kwami rolled her eyes. Marinette scritched under Tikki's chin, "Me too, Tikki. It's been too long."

Tikki giggled and tucked herself into the bag. Marinette closed it and slipped through her balcony trapdoor.

Cat turned to her as she emerged, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His face lit up with a smile when she approached. 

"You really are excited, huh?" Marinette laughed softly.

"I am! Are you ready?" Cat asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She shrugged. 

"Annnnd scoop!" He swept her into his arms with a grin.

"Dork." She giggled, wrapping her arms securely around his neck.

"You know it." With that and a wink, he took off.

***

"I… wow, you really outdid yourself, Cat." Marinette blinked at the scene before her.

A large, soft looking flannel blanket laid upon the ground. Several wicker picnic baskets held it down at each corner and the smell wafting from them had her stomach rumbling. A vase of sunflowers stood proudly in the center of the blanket. The clearing this was set up in was quiet and secluded, with wild flowers peeking up near tree roots.

"Too much?" Cat asked.

"No, not at all." Mari turned a smile on him, "I think it's perfect."

His face lit up as he laughed, "Thanks, Princess."

Marinette settled on the blanket and looked up at her vibrating partner, "Are you going to sit?"

"Yes, but first, what would you like to eat?" He asked.

"Depends. What do you have?" She hummed.

A grin spread across his lips, "Well,"

***

After a delicious meal, Marinette and Cat laid on the blanket to cloud gaze. She nudged him and pointed, "Look, a lion."

"I don't know, kinda looks like a bunny to me." He replied. 

"Hm." She hummed as her eyes scanned the sky. She pointed to another one, "What about that one?"

"Hm, kinda looks like a catbug." He said.

"It does, huh." She scooted closer to him, "So how's  _ that _ going, by the way?"

A blush grazed his cheeks as he swallowed and shifted slightly, "Well, uh,  _ that _ has gotten a bit complicated."

"How so?" Marinette frowned.

Ladybug hadn't been out in awhile because they'd both been busy and their last mask to mask had been pretty normal by their standards. So, it couldn't be her masked identity that'd made things complicated, could it?

Cat's blush grew to consume his human ears and he was actively not looking at her, "I… there might be someone in my civilian life who has caught my eye kinda complicated."

"Oh." Marinette murmured, surprised by the disappointment she felt curling up in her chest.

"Y-yeah." He said.

"Do… do they at least like you back?" She asked.

"I think so." He glanced at her and then away again. A shy, cute, crooked smile played on his lips, "I really hope so, anyway."

"Well," Marinette emphasized her next word with a nod, "Good. You deserve to be loved, Kit."

Cat turned to look at her then, his smile sad now, "I seem to still be learning that. Thank you."

"Of course." She breathed.

***

Marinette took a deep breath before she refreshed the page. There it was, her first ever YouTube tutorial for the whole world to see. She closed the browser and sat back in her chair.

"You did a good job, Marinette. I'm sure it'll do great." Tiki assured, nuzzling her chosen's cheek. 

"Thank you, Tikki. Y'know what? I'm just not going to worry about it." Marinette said confidently, "Instead, let's get to work on Adrien's parachute pants!"

"Yes ma'am!" Tikki giggled.

***

"Hello?" Marinette asked.

"Hey, button." Adrien greeted warmly despite the news he had to deliver.

"Oh, are you here already, Adrien?" She hummed. 

"Uh, no, actually, I kinda have to cancel." He grimaced.

"Did Gabriel do something because I swear-" Mari began.

Adrien laughed, "No. You and I both know he can't control me anymore. But, uh, no, it's more a 'we share a brain cell' kinda situation, Mari."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"So you haven't looked at your video since you posted it?" Adrien frowned. 

"No? What does the video have to do with us sharing a brain cell?" Marinette could be heard working on her computer then.

"Well, I wore my fifth name gift today. Which I assume was commissioned through you." Adrien said.

"Y-you wore the shirt beret?" She frowned.

Adrien glanced at himself in the mirror, dressed in his shirt beret, long "Whoever said diamonds are a girl's best friend HORSE" shirt, mountain print leather trousers and banana yellow cowboy boots on full view. He cleared his throat, "Among other things, obviously."

"Adrien, why am I trending?" Marinette asked, panic tinting her voice.

"I may have been asked about the beret and told them you made it?" Adrien chuckled wryly, "And I've seen people on instagram jumping head first onto the trend train."

"Oh no. No no no no no, I'm not ready for this kind of situation." Marinette whispered. 

"Of all the people who have gone accidentally viral, I think you're the most prepared, button." Adrien soothed.

"Wh-what am I even supposed to do? How can I make more videos or designs knowing so many people are watching me now? I'm not ready!" Marinette said. 

" _ Marinette _ ." Adrien pulled out his "business" voice.

"Y-yes?" She managed.

"Listen to me. This is an unprecedented situation, yes, but it's also an amazing opportunity. Your online store is up and running, you and I have already made a deal with a trustworthy manufacturer for your designs and you have fail safes in place to let people know if you run out of already made garments." Adrien stated. He could hear her breathing calm some. He took a breath and continued, "Not only that, but your designs have proved to be desirable and accessible. And you have me in your corner, right?"

"Right." She breathed.

"So, you can do this." Adrien declared.

"Thank you, Adrien." Marinette said.

"Anything for you, button. Anything." Adrien promised. 


	6. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the last chapter of Rebellious Fabrics. It kinda came together rather quickly, so I apologize for any editing issues. Any which way, I hope you all enjoy this last chapter of this well loved story!

It was a normal day when the Agreste Mansion went into shut down mode. Adrien and Plagg exchanged a look. They were certainly not going to let Gabriel trap them. Adrien climbed onto his piano as Plagg triggered the descending mechanism.

When the piano was securely under his room, Adrien slid off it and into the maintenance corridor that surely led out of the house. He and Plagg followed it to a fork and took the right path. It led them to a steep descending staircase that silent curiosity drew them down.

Eventually, they found themselves on a landing, leading to a long, metal cylindrical structure in the middle of a platform, flowers surrounding it. In the dim lighting, Adrien could make out another platform across some sort of bridge. He squinted, spotting a moving, nearly glowing white mass. Thanks to the acoustics, the sound of lazily flapping wings made its way to his ears.

"No." Adrien whispered in disbelief. 

Adrien pulled out his phone and opened the camera. He hit record and made it a step forward before the sound of an elevator startled him into hiding behind the cylinder. Adrien peeked around it, camera and eyes watching as a figure- no, not any figure, his father.

It was all Adrien could do to keep his mind calm as Gabriel strode into the butterflies and shouted for his transformation. In a flash, Hawkmoth stood in the center of the butterfly platform. A growl left the villain, "Surely  _ someone _ must be able to be akumatized!"

"Perhaps all of Paris has started seeing therapists, sir." Came Nathalie's calm snark.

"Don't be absurd!" He huffed.

"Then perhaps you can't feel any other emotions over your own frustrations." She commented.

"If you aren't going to be helpful, you can go back to work." The glare was evident in Gabriel's voice.

"As you wish, sir." Nathalie began to walk away, only to pause halfway, "I never imagined that things would come to this. Gabriel Agreste outshined by a teenage girl. What a world we live in."

"Get out!" Gabriel shouted.

Nathalie did so quickly enough. Adrien waited silently as he could til he and Plagg could make their escape.

They went back to Adrien's room, desire to escape quelled by their discovery. Numbness threatened to drown Adrien as he sat at his computer. How was anyone supposed to feel about finding out their parent was the supervillain that had led to their own death many a time? What should he do next? Tell Ladybug? How?

Plagg headbutted his chin gently, "It's going to be okay, Adrien. I'll keep you safe."

Adrien offered the kwami a small smile he didn't feel, "Thanks, Plagg."

***

Marinette and Nino were chilling between Mario Kart rounds when there was a knock on the window. They turned to it to find Cat Noir waving from the other side. Nino jogged over and opened it, "Hey, dude."

"Hi Cat." Marinette said.

"Good evening." Cat Noir greeted, "Nino, can I ask you for something?"

"Yeah, sure, dude." Nino shrugged.

"Excellent." Cat flung the DJ over his shoulder, drawing a yelp from him, and winked at Mari, "Be right back."

She stared in horror as her partner kidnapped her friend. How on earth was she going to explain this to Alya?

Marinette could only look out at the night as the minutes passed, hoping that Cat and Nino would return soon. Because what the  _ hell _ ?

"Mari, Nino, do you think we should watch-" Alya paused when she noticed that her boyfriend was missing, "Uh, where's Nino?"

"Uh, Cat Noir kidnapped him?" Marinette managed. 

"I'm sorry, what?" Alya blinked.

Marinette threw her hands up, "Cat kidnapped Nino!"

" _ What _ !?" Alya asked again. 

Alya's phone rang, making them jump. She answered it quickly, "Hello?"

Marinette leaned toward Alya in a show of straining to listen. Nino's voice came from the phone, "Hey babe, can you let us in?"

"Mari?" Alya asked.

"I got it." Marinette rushed over to the door, checked the peephole and opened it.

"Thanks, Mari." Nino sighed, helping a shaky Cat Noir inside.

She locked the door, eyes on her partner to decipher why he looked weak. His arm seemed to be shaking of its own accord and his eyes looked sort of glazed. Her voice cracked, "What happened?!"

"Uhhh, well, Cat Noir pulled out a stun gun and then used it on himself?" Nino frowned.

"He  _ what _ !?" Marinette gasped, voice higher than normal.

"I'm fine." Cat said softly, moving from Nino's support, "I just needed to see if it worked on suited up miraculous users."

"Are you crazy!?" Marinette demanded. She cut him off before he could open his mouth, "And if you so much as  _ think _ the phrase 'crazy in love', I will defenestrate you so quickly you won't realize it til you hit the ground. Am I understood?"

Cat chuckled wearily, "Yes ma'am. Can do."

"Why would you do something so stupid?" Mari asked, taking his arm in her hands, "You could seriously hurt yourself, Kit."

"Well, I knew that Ladybug wouldn't have used it on me and I figured Nino would be able to help me if it worked." Cat said.

"That doesn't come close to answering my question." She glared.

He glared back, "Hawkmoth plays dirty all the time. I figured why can't wild card Cat Noir pull some tricks of his own?"

"Because he's a  _ hero _ ." Her glower intensified.

"Maybe that's why we keep losing. Besides, it's not like incapacitating him for a few seconds is going to do irreversible damage. It should be just long enough for us to grab his Miraculous." He replied. 

She paused, looking at him hard for a second. She sighed, "It's not a bad idea."

"He'll never expect it." Cat smiled.

"You might be right,  _ but _ ," Marinette pointed at him seriously, "if you ever pull such a stupid stunt again, I'm putting you on house arrest. Do you hear me?"

"House arrest with you? Sounds like  _ purr _ adise,  _ Purr _ incess." He smirked as she rolled her eyes.

***

"Okay, but how could you possibly know that's his plan, Chaton?" Ladybug asked, a skeptical frown twisting her lips.

"Can you just trust that I know and move forward? Or do years of being partners not count for anything?" Cat crossed his arms.

"Because it sounds like you know who he is and you haven't told me!" Ladybug exclaimed. 

"If I did know and I told you, you'd get pissed and take the fight to him, unprepared, in his home turf." Cat rolled his eyes, "We should let him come out of his nest, think he has the upper hand and then kick him in the metaphorical nads."

Ladybug scrutinized him for a long, quiet moment. She let out a breath and nodded, "You've obviously thought this through. We'll have your plan as Plan A, but we should make at least two back ups. Just in case."

"I would expect nothing less, Bugaboo. But let's get the other two up to date first." He suggested. 

"Fair enough." She smiled.

"Race ya!" He shouted before bounding off.

***

Adrien fiddled with his pencil, rolling it between his hands. He really wished he was going to ask her this in different circumstances. Hell, she'll probably hate him for it, but he had to keep her safe. Too much rode on his plan to add her particular brand of beautiful but dumb bravery to it.

"Hey Adrien. You wanted to talk?" Marinette asked, her beautiful sea blue orbs full of concern.

"I, uh," Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me Friday?"

Mari blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"Like, on a date? With me? Friday? Like a real one?" He asked hopefully. 

"Oh!" She squeaked. Color flooded her cheeks but her smile turned apologetic, "I, um, I'm actually already going on a date with someone that day?"

"O-oh. Okay. Right. Cool." Adrien nodded.

"I'm sorry?" Marinette managed. 

"No, no!" Adrien waved his hands and laughed nervously, "No, uh, congrats, Mari. I'm happy for you."

"Oh… Okay." She worried her lip.

"I just remembered! I have to go talk to Nino about something! I'll see you later!" Adrien exclaimed before darting off.

He made it far enough away and slumped against a wall, heart pounding and aching. He took a breath and straightened. There would be time to nurse his heart later. Now, however, he needed to put the next steps of the plan in motion.

***

The day had come. Cat Noir watched as Scarlet Moth declared this the final battle and akumatized as many people as he could from atop the Eiffel Tower. He almost snorted when the two akumas ended up only being M. Pigeon and Lila.

"Ready, Pegasus?" Ladybug whispered.

Pegasus nodded and teleported himself, Ladybug and Cat to the planned spot. On the signal, Rena used Mirage and soon both the real and fake Ladybug and Cat Noir were racing towards the tower.

Cat kept an eye on the other side of things. Rena and Carapace jumped into battle, taking Lila and M. Pigeon's attention away from the fakes. The duo and their duplicates reached the platform at the same time.

Miragebug and Miragenoir stood assertively in front of Hawkmoth, unmoving. With a roar, the supervillain swung his cane at them, only for them to disperse into orange mist. Hawkmoth froze just long enough for Cat to lunge forward with the stun gun. It caught the supervillain in the ribs, giving him  _ quite _ the shock.

In that moment, Ladybug swept around and snatched the Miraculous from Hawkmoth. She darted away as the transformation and man fell. Gabriel Agreste slumped on the platform, still reeling from the ruse and subsequent shock.

Cat looked over to see Ladybug's shocked and growing increasingly furious expression. He shouted, "Get it to the box, Bug!"

She nodded and swung away. 

Cat Noir shifted his gaze to the crumpled man before him, "Y'know, I heard there was a rumor going around that I'm your kid."

"Wh-what?" Gabriel blinked up at him in confusion. 

"Let me just say this before the police arrest you,  _ Pops _ ." Cat growled, "The reason you failed? At  _ everything _ ? Is all your fault. If you had actually been a  _ dad _ to your kid, instead of obsessing over your dead wife, you wouldn't be  _ here _ . 

"That kid loved you. He wanted you to be happy. He wanted you to try to move on. To be happy with the woman who was so  _ obviously  _ in love with you. Who you  _ used _ . Because you never cared about anyone but  _ yourself _ ." Cat laughed, "I hope you rot in jail as you're forgotten by the world, Gabriel."

"I-" Gabriel began.

"Good job, Cat Noir!" Lieutenant Roger boomed.

"Thank you, sir.  _ This _ is all yours." Cat bowed.

"Pass on our thanks to Ladybug." Lieutenant Roger said.

"Will do." Cat turned a vicious smile on Gabriel, "See you in court, old man."

And with that, Cat Noir took his leave.

***

"That went surprisingly well." Carapace confessed.

"I'm glad it did. I didn't want to look at that bastard more than I absolutely had to." Cat grumbled, arms crossed.

"I really wish I could kick his stupid face in." Rena growled.

"Sorry that you won't get the chance." Cat huffed.

Ladybug took a few big steps and pulled Cat into a tight hug. He blinked, "B-bug?"

"You knew, didn't you?" She whispered. He thought about objecting but nodded. She lowered her volume even more, "That's why you haven't been dressing so loud recently, isn't it, Adrien?"

He gasped, grasping for why Ladybug would know that. He found it easily enough and pulled back to look at her with delighted astonishment, voice too low for the others, "Mari?"

"Right here, Kit." She smiled.

He grinned, picked her up and spun her, "This just became the best day of my life!"

She laughed, a light scolding to her tone, "Chaton, let me down."

"Oh fine." He set her on her feet.

"Now," She brushed his bangs to the side, "I'm rather worried about where Adrien will be living since his father is in jail."

"Well, I'm fairly certain that Nathalie is his guardian if something happens to Gabriel." Carapace said.

"Yes, but since Gabriel is Hawkmoth, the logical conclusion is that Nathalie is Mayura." Ladybug frowned. 

"And Adrien's next next of kin is all the way in England." Rena frowned.

They all paused to think about that particular predicament.

"Maybe Adrien can emancipate himself?" Ladybug suggested.

"I'm sure he can figure something out." Cat said earnestly.

**Epilogue:**

In the end, Gabriel got several hundred years in jail, Nathalie got a quarter of that thanks to a plea deal and Adrien was able to announce himself legally independent. 

The police found Emilie Agreste's comatose body in Hawkmoth's lair. She was then taken to a hospital to be put on life support and hopefully awaken one day.

Marinette asked Adrien out and their relationship grew even stronger as the years passed. Going viral had jumpstarted Marinette's already pretty amazing design career and she was at New York Fashion Week the year after.

To this day, Ladybug and Cat Noir patrol the streets of Paris, ready to defeat any wrongdoers that dare endanger their city. Their partnership remains the strongest of any superhero duo before them and presently.

It's probably because they're soulmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for being on this journey with me! I know it went in a different direction than I think any of us thought it would, but I think it turned out pretty good. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, y'all! Until the next fic! ~Nobu


End file.
